To Shorten the Road

There is an old Irish folk tale about a father and a son who set out on a long journey.

“Shorten the road, my son,” said the father. His son walked faster, to cut short their time on the road. But the father rolled his eyes and went home. The next day, they set out again.

“Shorten the road, my son,” said the father. The same thing happened, and his father turned back. On the third day, the lad’s mother whispered, “Tell your Da a story he has never heard, and you’ll no be back again soon.” She was right.

My family and I have just returned from a journey of our own, but we already knew how to shorten the road. In fact the North Central Library System hired The Baltuck/Garrard Family Storytellers to come tell stories on the dry side of the mountains.

Along the way we discovered more than one way to shorten the road…

It’s amazing, the fun you can have with one little bag of Space Adventure Goldfish Crackers.

That’s probably not what the Irish storytellers had in mind, but there were also plenty of stories told to shorten the road, and the miles flew by. On our storytelling tour we visited ten libraries in ten towns. Each town and each library was different. I loved the bleachers at the Brewster Library, especially when it was filled to the ceiling with kids who had come to hear us tell “Stories that Go Bump in the Night.”

Jennifer, one of the librarians at the Chelan Library, even made us a campfire! Over a hundred people came to enjoy it with us.

Between performances, we explored. On the wet side of the mountains, we sometimes forget how beautiful it is on the other side of the Cascades.

The Methow Valley is not just for skiers…

There was wildlife…

…right outside our door.

Sunsets were breathtaking, from Winthrop…

…to the streets of Chelan.

Everywhere we went, we found stories to shorten the road. Many were true stories of Washington pioneers, as featured in this mural in Omak.

At the historical museum in Chelan, we learned about the First People of the land too, and then played ‘dress up’…

After our show in Manson, we ate at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant steeped with stories and decorated with a lifetime of memories from Grandpa’s shed. It gives me hope–and ideas–about what to do with my own overcrowded storage room.

We sat outside on the deck overlooking their own blueberry fields…
The blueberries were as big as grapes…

…and the food was great…

…but the stories were what made this place really special.

In Twisp, every grocery run is memorable if you shop at Hank’s. Hank and his son share their passion for big game hunting by lining the walls and topping their shelves with displays of their hunting trophies. It is an odd, but personal touch that piqued my curiosity about them. Perhaps next time I will learn more of that story.

After performing in Winthrop and Twisp…

..we dined at the Twisp Pub with our friend Carol. She stays with us in Seattle every May during the Northwest Folklife Festival, and at Christmas. It was a special treat to sneak in an extra visit to catch up on personal stories while sipping local cider and raspberry soda.

On our way to the Bridgeport Library the next day, we watched another story unfold as firefighters fought to control a brushfire. On our recent trip to Colorado, we steered clear of the fires, but the road to Bridgeport took us right past this one. These folks are of sturdy pioneer stock, and they seemed to take it in stride, keeping one eye on the fire and the other on the tasks at hand.

It is nearing the harvest season, and there is much to be done. Central Washington is farm country.

Wow, Naomi. When you said you were going local on a holiday with your kids while they were still young enough to want to be with you, I had no idea you had this in store for them. What an adventure – I’m full of admiration and a deal of awe. 🙂

What a great adventure for you all. I’m sure your children have learned so much from this trip, and the sharing they were able to do. YOu really saw some awesome sights, and I can’t get that delicious-looking berry and cream dessert out of my mind. 😀 Thanks for sharing your photos and heartwarming story.

Hi mj. Thanks so much for your really sweet comments. We do have a blast when we travel, and it is a marvel to me that people will pay us to sing for our supper. We just got back from a jaunt to the Olympic Peninsula and I am about 500 messages behind, but I did get to read your last blog, and I thought it was great. Really funny, but also a vivid picture of your childhood. Thanks for stopping by.

Looks like an amazing trip. I’ve spent many, many hours riding in the car with my family, and “shortening the road.” Sometimes it was stories, sometimes games, always ridiculous and entertaining.
It’s great to travel and go on journey to see amazing things. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for bringing us on your adventures.
On one trip to Oregon, the friend who was driving was terrified of bridges, so when we had to cross one, she’d say, “Tell me a story to distract me,” and of course, I did!

What an interesting story of your travels and story times. And good food. I’ve never heard of the dry/wet side of the mountains. Guess that’s what I get for living on the east coast. Thanks for sharing.

It’s amazing how creativity, humor , stories , even songs can shorten the road. When we are having a great and fun time, hours seems to turn into minutes. Love your family’s journey. So much adventure and breathtaking sceneries. Oh, cool vampire fangs! Thanks…

Majestic – the state tourism council should pay you a commission. I’ll get right on that 😉 I love the way you so seamlessly weave into your stories the themes of traditional folktales. The common sense insight of them has always appealed to me. This one brought to mind the Scottish “Always Room for One More.”
Wishing a fair wind at your back, my lady. -Nikki

I LOVE that story, NIkki! As always, it is a pleasure to hear from you. Just coming back from the road trip, I am WAY behind in my blogging, but I am eager to catch up. Thanks so much for stopping by. I always love to hear from you.

Catching up on my reading and find I’m back travelling again through your wonderful photos and post – thank you! What a gift to your children to instill and encourage the storyteller within – and a gift to the world to share the storyteller without. I would love to be sitting on the floor listening….

Dear Jessica, you are so sweet! I have been on the road, and am entertaining my little old auntie right now, but I hope to catch up with my blogs this week, and I look forward to reading yours–they are always thoughtful and interesting.

Hi Paula, You don’t strike me as someone who would have trouble entertaining herself, especially if your sister is along for the ride. But now you’ve got me curious–if you don’t call it “shortening the road,” I wonder what you do call it. (Whisper it into my ear).

Having traveled America, the real place, so far and so well, do you have stories to shorten our road as we trudge toward the election?
Stories of hope, and not of disunion and savagery?
Have you met hopeful people, and is the America I grew up believing I knew as a little girl still there?

I would hope that the intolerant and divisive Americans we read about are the exceptions, extremists in and outside of the government. Unfortunately, when you read about the obstructionists and lack of civility, statesmanship, and cooperation, it is hard to feel hopeful. I have been to all fifty states, and I can tell you there are good and kind people everywhere. Let us hope the ones who voted into office next November are the ones who care about the welfare of every American, rich or poor. That is the America I believe in.

I love a good road trip and your pictures are always amazing. Thank you for the ride along! Fabulous!!! That is so neat that you all stopped at so many libraries to tell stories. You should have come here! 😀

Thank you, Shimon. I enjoy flying to cover distance, but sometimes the actual journey is as interesting as the destination. We saw so many new and interesting things, and they were right in our own back yard. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

Well I must say with the trips I take and the places I have been I always worried when I started blogging about adding too many to tell a story. You have rid me of my fears! I loved your family trip and of course the photos!

We are both well traveled souls it is what I miss about trucking the most the stories from the road

Thanks so much to. Even after my wreck and injuries I try to remain with the living 🙂 I have lots of stories that get me thrrough each day. Loved yours which is why I made sure to leave a comment 🙂
Eunice

THANKS for visiting my “pun-ny” photoblog and leaving a “like.” Since it’s an old post you must have seen the link at Jake’s “Sunday Post” site. I feel fortunate that during this return visit to your blog I was able to catch this wonderfully illustrated and entertainingly narrated travelogue. Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

Thank you for the visit. This was a tour that took us all over North Central Washington, but the scenery in Eastern Oregon can sometimes be very similar. My kids came home from that trip with a great new appreciation for Washington State.

Awesome stories! And the photos were spectacular. I so want to visit that part of the country. I haven’t been to too many places other than central USA. I am new to your blog, but I gather the storytelling business is a family affair?
Thank you for sharing.

Hi Darla, thank you for your generous response! As it happened with my Aunt Loena, it is never too late to start traveling, and sometimes you don’t have to go all that far to enter into a totally different world, climate, ecosystem, etc.

I do tell stories on my own as a solo performer (www.naomibaltuck.com), but I really love telling with the whole family even more.

What a great adventure. Your family must have loads of fun together. We will be in your fair state for the National Council for the Social Studies Conference in mid November. Looking forward to it. Thanks for posting such a great story.

We do have fun together. History is a shared passion for this family! Several of the storytelling programs we do are about the pioneer days of Washington (and Oregon). I hope you have a wonderful time at the convention. Will it be held east or west of the Cascades?

Thank you so much for visiting, and leaving such fun and interesting comments.

The National Council for the Social Studies will meet in Seattle. Where are you going to be around Nov. 17th? If you’re in the neighborhood, you might let NCSS know, so they can refer people to come see you, or you might enjoy going to the conference.